This article asks whether politician gender changes how voters judge political scandal, testing whether people discount or disbelieve scandals that contradict gender stereotypes. Using a survey experiment in Mexico that varied scandal type and the politician’s gender, the authors report that respondents were more favorable toward female politicians accused of stereotype-incongruent behaviors, and that people high in benevolent sexism were especially likely to discount stereotype-incongruent scandals. The piece aims to clarify the role of gender stereotypes in judgments about politicians’ fitness for office.
Survey experiment Female politicians favored in stereotype-incongruent scandals Benevolent sexism moderates responses
Data and methods
The study uses a survey experiment conducted in Mexico that manipulated both the type of scandal and the gender of the politician facing misconduct allegations. The abstract identifies the experimental variation but does not provide sample size, sampling frame, or detailed measurement items in the supplied text.
Main findings
According to the abstract, respondents were relatively more favorable toward female politicians when the alleged misconduct involved behaviors that contradict gender stereotypes. The authors also report that respondents scoring high on benevolent sexism—people who idealize women as uniquely pure—were particularly likely to discount scandals that were stereotype-incongruent.
- Respondents showed greater favorability to women accused of stereotype-incongruent behaviors.
- Benevolent sexists were especially likely to discount such scandals.
